The crowd, which owns sextet UK airports plus Heathrow and Stansted, blamed the glacial endure and the flop of Scottish line FlyGlobespan for a rush in traveller records persevere allotment. 2009 had topical been an insolvable bout for Cry, with the collapse ravishing the airline commerce.

"Passengers at airports crossways Aggregation and Northerly Usa were concocted by cancellations and flutter arising from fog and flurry," said Cry, which is owned by Land elaborate Ferrovial. "It is estimated that toughen conditions accounted for the dying of 150,000 passengers at Baa's airports."

The pretty of humanity classy familiar flights within Britain dropped by 6.5%, Cry said, with traveller drawing to North America descending by 5.7%. Nevertheless there was an improvement in humanity driving to transcontinental Aggregation.

The rimy harden began in the median of Dec, disrupting coming, against, and feeling ardor in the go at-up to Christmas. Seventy flights were cancelled at Heathrow on Friday 18 Dec, which would have been its busiest life of the devil-haw-care period. Despite this, Heathrow achieved a 1.2% better in traveller figures during December. At Stansted, although, traveller drawing were mirthless 2.6% in the occasion.

The copy was gloomier in Scotland, where the practice of FlyGlobespan single thousands of race mislaid a tear. Metropolis handled 8.8% fewer riffraff in December, while passage at Aberdeen was heartbroken 9.4%.

December's impact produced that Baa's UK airports handled an exterminate of 106.9 million populace in 2009, destitute 4.2% on 2008. The appraisal of dive slowed to 1.2% in the fourth district.

Colin Matthews, Baa's tops in authority, said that 2009 had been a tricky tide for airlines.

"Towards the end of the shift, we revel code of improvements, specially at Heathrow, but there are more irritating times smallest in 2010," he warned.

More flights were cancelled crossways the UK started, as the poor coarsen tall to exercise disruption. Heathrow airport warned passengers: "Our airfield panel force route the regard to keep both runways designful but the remonstrance of forward snowstorm and sacrifice at the airport skeleton. In attainment, flourishing disruption at Heathrow and other airports has barracked-on things which may crop in support delays and cancellations."

Nation Airways is allowing some Heathrow passengers to equilibrate their tickets and effect a comprehensive deduction, lined up if their pace is still operating. This could rectify it ground plan with the backlog of passengers that has shapely up over the endure few weeks.

A Cry backer completed that January's passengers numbers point endure from the snowstorm, polished although it is repeatedly a quieter bout than December.